Torpedo-guard.



T. M. DANIELS.

TORPEDO GUARD.

APPLICATION FILE D SEPT- 24,4915.

Patented Oct. 31, 1916.

2 SHEETSSHEET I.

w W m INVENTOR muifl T. M. DANIELS.

TORPEDO GUARD.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 24, 1915.

LQQQK. Patented Oct, 31, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

WITNESSES: INVENTOH THOMAS M. DANIELS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

TORPEDO-GUARD.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented diet. 31, 11916.

Application filed September 24, 1915. Serial No. 52,343.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, THOMAS M.- DAN1ELs,

a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county ofCbok and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and usefulTorpedo-Guard, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription, reference being had to the drawings appended hereto.

My invention relates to torpedo guards for vessels, and has referencemore particularly to that type of guard designed for extension outwardlya suflicient distance from both sides of the vessel so as to explode bycontacttorpedoes and mines which otherwise would contact with the hullof the vessel.

One of the primary objects of the invention is the provision ofa-nimproved torpedo guard, composed of hinged sections, having thecapability of easy manufacture and read y assemblage for application tothe sides of the vessel. Another object is to provide such a guard whichmay be readily taken apart and stowed away in a minimum of space on thevessel, and adapted when assembled to be quickly lowered over the sidesof the vessel for immediate operative use. A further object of myinvention is to produce a device of this character which may be employedwhile the vessel is under way, and without materially retarding itsprogress.

A still further object is to cheapen the cost and simplify theconstruction of such torpedo guards. plates certain novel details ofconstruction and arrangement of parts of my improved device wherebycertain objects are attained, as will be more fully describedhereinafter and pointed out in the claims.

The foregoing, together with such other objects as are incident to myinvention, I obtain by means of a construction illustrated in preferredform in the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 represents apictorial view of a vessel illustrating the application thereto of myimproved torpedo guard.

1F igures 2 and 3 are plan views of a portion of the guard showing itsrelation with the side of the vessel.

Figure 4: is a view in elevation of the in ner face of a por' on of theguard shown in Figure 3.

,]Figures 5 and 6 represent views of the front and rear end plates ofthe guard.

My invention also contem- Referring more particularly to Figure 1 .ofthe drawings, it will be seen that my torpedo guard is composed of aseries of sectional metallic plates which extend to pro tect both sidesfrom the bow to the stern of the vessel, and to which, if desired, alower supplementary series of plates may be attached andpreferably in amanner so as to break joints with what would then be the upper series ofplates.

In carrying out my inventioml provide a plurality of sectional plates 10hingedly connected together at their vertical side margins. Each plate,accordingly, is formed at one side margin with eyes 11 and at the otherside margin with eyes 12 arranged to interiit with the eyes 11 of thenext adjacent plate 10 for the reception therethrough of the connectingpintle .13. A

In order to maintain the plate sections at a suitable distance from theside of the vessel, I provide a plurality of outwardly extending boomsor arms 14:, each of which has at its outer end eyes 15 arranged tointerfit with the eyes 11 and 12 and through which the pintle 13 alsoextends to hinge'dly connect the plates and arm together as in themanner shown in Figure 4. -The pintle is formed with a head 13, and witha shoulder 13 adapted to rest on the upper eye 12, the numeral 20indicating a spring-clip car ried on the plate so that its free end 20engages the pintle intermediate its head and shoulder so as to maintainthe pintle against vertical displacement in either direction. it loop 21is formed on the inner face of the plate, and if desired additionalloops 21 may also be provided for a after morefully described.

At the inner end of the arm 1%: are spaced knuckles 16 through which ispassed a rod 17 carrying at each end a roller device 18 which slidablyengages the side of the vessel. The numeral 19 indicates a stay armhaving a forked or bifurcated inner end portion 19 engaged-with thatportion of thei' rod 17 intermediate the knuckles 16, and a bent freeend portion 19' adapted to engage with the loop 21. When thus engagedthe arm 14 lies at right angles to the plane of the side of the vesseland of the guard, as shown in Figure 2, and consequently the guard. isthen at its greatest extended position. Should it be desired to reducethe distance between the vessel and. its guard,'this may readily beaccomplished by manipulating the purpose hereinof the vessel at timesWhen torpedo attackis not anticipated or when the vessel is clearof-2nineelds. Preferably each sectional plate 10 is suspended by achain; and'the raising or lowering operation of the guard is greatlyfacilitated by the provision of the' roller devices 18 which, as alreadyindicated, are carried by the booms 14 at their inner ends to slidablycontact with the vessels sides during these 'opcrations.

Goiiperating with the booms and suspensionmeans with a view to aid inmaintaining the relation of the torpedo guard with the vessel, theforward plate 24 is bent to assume the angular conformation illustratedin Figure 5, and is provided with eyes 24* at its side edges by which itmay be con-' nected with the next adjacent plates. It is considereddesirable that the degree of bend be somewhat greater than the anglepresented by the bow of the vessel, so that the plate may have easymovement during the raising and lowering operation of the guard.Furthermore, I provide a rod or strap 25, adjacent the stern of thevessel, and on both sides thereof. This rod. rigidly depends from theupper structure and passing through 'the eyes 12 of the rear end plate,

see Figure 6, guides said plate during vertical movement and serves tomaintain it in a fixed definite location when the guardis operativelypositioned. The rods may be secured to the vessel in any mannerconsidered preferable, and each desirably is formed with the lowercifsetportion 26 upon which the bottom eye 11 of the rear plate may rest. r

The plates of the supplementary series are indicated by the numeral 27and are carried by the plates .10, preferably being arranged to breakjoints with the latter, in the manner shown clearly in Figure l of thedrawings. Openings 28, 28 are formed adjacent the lower edge of theplate 10, and fastened at one end of the plate adjacent each opening 28is a spring clip 29 having its other end. extending across said opening.The lower plates in turn are correspondingly provided on their innerfaces, adjacent their upper margins, with headed studs 30, which,

when the plates 10 and 27 are brought together in the lap relation shownin Figure 4, extend through the openings 28 and lock with the plate bodyand spring clip 29.

The plates 10 and 27 are-respectively vice, together with its simplicityand other advantages thereof, will be clearly apparent to those skilledin the art.

I do not desire to be understood. as limiting myself to the precisedetails of construction and arrangement shown, as it is maniarrangementin the adaptation of the device to various conditions ofuse withoutdeparting from. the spirit and scope of my invention and improvements. Itherefore reserve the right to all such variations and modifications asproperly fall within the scope of my invention and the terms of thefollowing claims.

Having thus described my invention and illustrated its use, what I claimas new and deslre to secure by Letters Patent, is the following j 1. Ina torpedo guard, the combination of a plurality of associated verticallydisposed guard -sections, an outwardly extending boom-therefor,connecting means for the adjacent vertical side margins of the sections,said boom having a pivotal connection therewith whereby the verticaldisposition of the sections is maintained, a device associated with saidboom for maintaining its outwardly extending relation with the sec"tions,' and means for raising and lowering said sections.

2. In a torpedo guard for vessels, the combination of a plurality ofmetallic guard sections, and a boom for the sections, adjacent ends ofsaid boom and sections being pivotally connected together at a pluralityof points in substantially the same vertical plane.

- 3. In a torpedo guard for vessels, the combination of a plurality ofvertically disposed metal guard sections, and an outwardly extendingboom for the sections, adjacent ends of said sections and the outer endof said boom'being pivotally connected together in a common verticalaxis to maintain the vertical disposition of the sections.

A. In a device of the character described, the combination of aplurality of guard sections adapted for disposition in substantialparallelism with the side of the vessel when operatively positioned, apivot pin connecting adjacent vertical side margins of fest thatvariations and modifications may be made in the features of constructionand engagement with said pin. at its outer end. 0. n a sectional torpedoguard for vessels, the combination oi a plurality of me' tallic guardsections, a boom extending out wardly t'ron'rthe side oi? the vesseltoward the sections, a common connecting device for the boom andsections, and means cooperating with said boom for maii'itaining thesections in operative relation with the side of the c. In a torpedoguard for vessels, the combination of a plurality of guard sections, anoutwardly extending boom theretor, a common vertically disposedconnocting member for pivotally connecting together the inner adjacentends of said sec-- tions and the outer end of said boom, a stay armadjnstably extending betweenv the inner end of the boom and one of thesections, and means for lowering and raising said sections,substantially as described.

In a device of the character described, the combination of a metallicguard section, an outwardly extending boom connected therewith at itsouter end and having a roller device on its inner end, and means forraising and lowering said section and boom.

8. In a device of the character described, the combination of a metallicguard section having a loop formed on itsinner face, an outwardlyextending boom therefor, a p intle corniecting the outer end of the boomwith the section, and a stay-arm carried by the boom and adapted toengage in said loop, substantially as described.

9. In a device of the character described, the combination of aplurality of metallic guard sections, an outwardly extending boomtherefor, adjacent ends of said boom and sections being pivotallyconnected together, a stay-arm extending from the boom to one of thesections, and. suspension means for said sections. l

10. In a device of the character described, the combination of aplurality of guard sections, an outwardly extending boom. therefor,adjacent ends of said boom and sections being pivotally connectedtogether, a stayarm for one of said sections, a roller device carried bysaid boom, and means for raising and lowering said sections.

11. In a torpedo guard for vessels, the cmnbination of a plurality ofsuperposed metallic guard sections connected together at theirhorizontal edge margins, and an outwardly extending boom forthesections, the adjacent ends of the upper guard. sections being pivotallyconnected to ether and the lower guard sections being arranged to breakjoints with the upper sections, sub stantially as described. I

1.2. A torpedo guard for vessels comprising a series oi pivotallyconnected metallic guard sections and booms, the bow section being bentto engage With the bow, a guide rod for the rear guard section, andmeans for raising and lowering the sections.

13. In a torpedo guard for a vessel, the.

combination of a plurality of associated and vertically disposed guardsections, an outwardly extending boom pivotally connected therewith. andarranged to maintain said sections at the desired distance from the sideoi the vessel, said sections having their vertical, side marginsconnected together in a manner permitting relative play of the sectionslengthwise of the vessel, and means operating to maintain the boom inits outwardly extending relation With the sections.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name.

THOMAS M. DANIELS.

tlopies ct this patent may beobtatncd for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner ct Patent-a, Washington, D. 0.

